Fat transfer buttock augmentation has made butt implants a passé due to its more natural results and notable safety, provided that it is performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon with “relevant” experience.

Dr. Tarick Smiley, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who conducts an average of three butt augmentations via fat every week, says the “holistic contouring effects of the surgery can be attributed to liposuction” wherein unwanted fats from two or more areas of the body are collected and transferred.

The lower back, flanks, anterior abdomen, and bra rolls are common donor sites, as they typically carry excess fat. Furthermore, carving out the waistline is one of the key elements to improve the female waist to hip ratio, which is perceived to be one of the markers of beauty.

Across all cultures, there is a strong preference for female bodies with WHR of 0.7 or at least close to his proportion. This means that the hip circumference is 30 percent thicker than the waist.

After collecting sufficient amounts of fats, these are washed and sorted; all biomaterials such as the red blood cells and the anesthetic/tumescent fluids are discarded prior to fat injection.

In Dr. Smiley’s recent videos posted on Snapchat, he said that he only uses “good healthy fats rich in stem cells” to achieve permanent results from fat transfer buttock augmentation, which is colloquially called as Brazilian butt lift.

Aside from the quality of fat, the surgeon said the longevity and overall success of the surgery also rely on meticulous injection.

“Fat injection must be must be done in a honeycomb fashion, meaning the fats are injected into a larger surface area,” he explained.

When fats are injected in a way that they resemble tiny compartments within the soft tissue, somewhat resembling a honeycomb, blood vessels can form and bring the much needed oxygen and nutrients. Without this process, the fats eventually die and are resorbed just after a few weeks or months of injection.

Because permanent result is one of the goals of buttock augmentation via fats, all efforts are made to promote blood vessel ingrowth.

The honeycomb injection technique not just ensures long-lasting results, but also softer and better contour because it replicates the natural layered distribution of fats. Furthermore, it prevents fat embolism in which fats enter the blood vessels and interfere with the functions of critical organs like the heart and lungs.

But even with honeycomb injection technique and proper collection and purification of fats, Dr. Smiley said that about 30 percent of the fat volume is resorbed within a year, while 70 percent is expected to persist long term.